Breaking: India Likely to Table Cryptocurrency Bill Before Parliament Session

India is reportedly working to table the much-talked cryptocurrency bill before or during the upcoming parliament session. The bill will be reportedly tabled during the upcoming union cabinet meeting while the winter session is set to start from November 29.

The said cryptocurrency bill comprises new regulations on crypto assets, their classification, and intended tax earnings from them. If the bill gets the cabinet nod, it might get approved during the upcoming parliament session. Earlier, inside sources indicated that the government might regulate cryptocurrencies as an asset class and will prohibit their use as a payment.

A top government official indicated that the new regulations would incorporate taxes on crypto gains based on the current rules of capital gains.  Tarun Bajaj, Revenue Secretary shed some light on the taxation on crypto assets and explained,

“We will take a call. I understand that people are already paying taxes on it. Now that it has really grown a lot, we will see whether we can actually bring in some changes in the law or not. But that would be a Budget activity. We are already nearing the Budget; we have to look into it at that point in time,”

The Indian crypto ecosystem has strived despite the uncertainty around regulations for nearly four years. According to one report, the Indian crypto ecosystem has become a $6 billion industry with several new unicorns. Now with the government looking set to clear crypto regulations, the Indian crypto ecosystem could reach new highs.

Indian Central Bank Still Sceptic of Cryptocurrency

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Indian central bank is still quite a sceptic about digital assets use and has warned about its potential harm to the financial system. RBI governor Shaktikanta Das has recently warned about the disastrous impact that digital assets could pose on macroeconomic and financial stability.

The infamous banking ban was also imposed by the RBI in 2017 that choked the crypto ecosystem and created many misconceptions among the mainstream. The banking ban was later overturned by the Supreme court of India in 2019.